As teams line up in front of Phil he has an important announcement. It turns out that Bopper had to see the race doctor last night and was diagnosed with an inflamed pancreas and not healthy enough to race around the world. "This is definitely devastating for me and my family", Bopper "Devastating is an understanding, I love this guy", Mark

Mark will still race but will receive a new partner, with Boppers blessing. The new partner turns out to be Mallory, also representing Kentucky.

There are some hearth wrenching moments on the starting line as this news sinks in with the other racers. Many hugs are exchanged and there are tears as they say goodbye to Bopper.

Phil now tells teams they are going to Guangzhou, China. And the winners of this first leg wins two express passes. One of which must be handed over to another team before the end of the fifth leg.

There is a starting line task as well. Some of the band members have Chinese characters on their hats, and some of them represent Guangzhou. teams can look at the conductors for a sample of what the signs should look like. Once they find a band member with such a symbol on thri hat they must bring the band member to Phil. The first teams which do so will end up on the first flight. One catch is that the band starts to play and perform a figurative routine as soon as Phil yells Go!

The metro seems to be a bit faster but not very much. Once teams arrive they realize what an enormous amount of wedding dress shops there are in the area. And the ones they need to find are small shops located in the alleys. It helps a lot if you find a helpful guide.

"There are four of us and we're on the early flight. How hard can this be", Nadiya "We're in the wrong street guys", Natalie & Nadiya convince Leo & Jamal that the shop they are looking at is wrong (it isn't)

Eventually teams from the second flight catch up with Leo & Jamal and Natalie & Nadiya. Which comes as a shock to them. Since a big group has less intelligence than its parts they all enter one store, which is not one of the correct ones, and start searching all the white wedding dresses.

On top of the tower is a ferris wheel. Teams must enter one of the bubbles. Then wait for the door to close. They will then see a clue on the inside of the door. This may either be a real clue or just read "try again". In either case they must complete the lap (~20 minutes) before they can leave or pick another bubble.

"Holy cow, they were on the second flight", Jet when Margie & Luke arrive

Some teams keep such a sharp look out the windows for yellow and red markers so they almost miss the clue on the door.

Natalie & Nadiya have a big meltdown in their capsule when they find a 'try again' clue. 'nuff said.

Most teams are smart and keep tabs on the other teams to see which bubbles contain real clues and which do not. They quickly realize that all the even numbered bubbles have real clues and the odd-numbered ones do not.

Teams find correct clues in the following order: 1(+0) Jet & Cord, on their second try 2(+1) Brendon & Rachel, on their first try 3(+3) Leo & Jamal, on their first try 4(-2) Margie & Luke, on their second try 5(-1) Dave & Connor, on their second try 6(-1) Mark & Mallory, on their second try 7(+0) Flight Time & Big Easy, on their first try 8(+0) Jessica & John, on their first try 9(+1) Caroline & Jennifer, on their first try 10(-1) Joey & Meghan, on their second try 11(+0) Natalie & Nadiya, on their second try

The clue reads:

Quote

Search for your next clueat the stadium onthe river below you.

Teams must now make their way to Haixinsha stadium just across the river and look for their next clue. Nobody seem to have problem with this.

Here they find a roadblock clue: "Who's feeling wired?".

In this roadblock contestants will be strapped into wires and must perform five flips as they are hoisted up to the top of a tower at 300 feet.

As these teams are all seasoned racers they have been in high places before so nobody have any problems with this.

"Not for me man, I ride bulls", Cord did not enjoy this experience "Oh yeah, the world's biggest wedgie", Brendon as he is hoisted into the air "Mom doesn't like heights. She likes to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground", Luke "Flight looks like a sexy piece of spinning meat", Caroline to Big Easy

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Jet & Cord*

(0-1)

2(+0)

Brendon* & Rachel

(1-0)

3(+0)

Dave & Connor*

(0-1)

4(+0)

Margie* & Luke

(1-0)

5(+0)

Leo* & Jamal

(1-0)

6(+0)

Mark & Mallory*

(0-1)

7(+0)

Flight Time* & Big Easy

(1-0)

8(+0)

Jessica & John*

(0-1)

9(+0)

Caroline & Jennifer*

(0-1)

10(+0)

Joey* & Meghan

(1-0)

11(+0)

Natalie* & Nadiya

(1-0)

Route info: "Make your way on foot to the first pit stop". Teams must now make their way on foot to the Guangzhou opera house. The opera house lies just behind the stadium and is hard to miss.

The last pit stop was at the opera house in Guangzhou, and this is also where teams are released the next morning in the following order:

1.

Jet & Cord

08:16

2.

Brendon & Rachel

08:23

(+0:07)

3.

Margie & Luke

08:39

(+0:23)

4.

Dave & Connor

08:46

(+0:30)

5.

Leo & Jamal

08:53

(+0:37)

6.

Mark & Mallory

08:56

(+0:40)

7.

Flight Time & Big Easy

08:57

(+0:41)

8.

Joey & Meghan

09:09

(+0:53)

9.

Jessica & John

09:13

(+0:57)

10.

Caroline & Jennifer

09:19

(+1:03)

Note that teams do not start in the same order as they finished. This probably means that some teams got time credits for production issues.

Quote

ROUTE INFO

Make your way to theChen Clan Academy陈家祠 and stand still infront of "The Master" toreceive your next clue.

You have $30 for this legof the race.

"We're really glad to have the express pass for us. But the other one has really just been a kind of a headache", Jet

Jet & Cord get told by locals that it is really far to the Chen Clan Academy, but since they don't understand Chinese they miss that part and take off running. "15 minute jog, that's not bad", Jet & Cord misunderstood the local, who tried to convey 50 minutes

"We though New York was bad, but this is insane", Rachel find the metro crowded "I'm not boy-crazy anymore, but we're gonna flirt", Caroline on their strategy

At the Chen Clan academy (11km) one team at a time have to stand in front of a bunch of adepts practicing Tai Chi. At the end of the ceremony the master will approach and stamp their next destination to their foreheads. Teams arrive and complete this task the following order: 1(+1) Brendon & Rachel, metro 2(+2) Dave & Connor, metro 3(+0) Margie & Luke, taxi 4(+1) Leo & Jamal, metro 5(+1) Mark & Mallory, metro 6(+1) Flight Time & Big Easy 7(+1) Joey & Meghan 8(+1) Jessica & John 9(+1) Caroline & Jennifer 10(-9) Jet & Cord, jogging & taxi, arrive just as #9 leave

Teams get their next destination stamped to their foreheads, in Chinese. They also get additional instructions. These among other things say "Watch out, there will be many children present. Be careful to not run into anybody".

All teams jump into taxis and show their forehead to the driver. They are then driven to 5th apron(8.5km) shopping mall. Here teams know they need to find the edaytown play park, where the next clue box can be found just inside the entrance. Teams arrive here in the following order: 1(+1) Dave & Connor 2(+1) Margie & Luke 3(+1) Leo & Jamal 4(-3) Brendon & Rachel 5(+0) Mark & Mallory 6(+0) Flight Time & Big Easy 7(+0) Joey & Meghan 8(+0) Jessica & John 9(+1) Jet & Cord 10(-1) Caroline & Jennifer, arrive as the first team is leaving

Road block: "Who's the mechanic?"In this road block contestants must assemble a big kiddy car. They each get a large box with all the parts and an instruction booklet, in Chinese. There are also lots of kids around which can be a little distracting.

"I have five kids, seven grandchildren. I've put plenty of things together in my life and I thought I've got this down", Dave "I always wanted one of these for christmas, except it was pink and had Barbie on it", Meghan as she opens the box "The biggest distraction were the kids", Margie "You're sweating a lot", Cute little girl to Flight Time (in Chinese)

"You wanna use the express pass?", Cord to Jet when they arrive next to last "I'm not gonna need it", But Jet has faith in his abilities

Caroline, who arrived last, looks frazzled and is struggling mightily with assembling the toy car. Jennifer does her best to charm the second express pass away from Cord. When Jet completes the challenge Cord confers with him and they decide to hand over the second express pass.

This seems to be a win-win situation. Jet & Cord get rid of the second express pass to a team they think they can beat and they also know it will be used right away. And Caroline & Jennifer escape almost certain elimination.

The last two teams at the road block are Joey & Meghan and Jessica & John. Meghan is the first one of them to finish her car, but instead of rushing out she stops to help John. This can be explained by the fact that they are good friends and were in an alliance in their last race. But strategically it is a bad move.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+4)

Mark* & Mallory

(1-1)

2(+0)

Margie* & Luke

(2-0)

3(-2)

Dave* & Connor

(1-1)

4(-1)

Leo & Jamal*

(1-1)

5(-1)

Brendon* & Rachel

(2-0)

6(+3)

Jet* & Cord

(1-1)

7(+3)

Caroline* & Jennifer

(1-1)

Used an express pass

8(-2)

Flight* Time & Big Easy

(2-0)

9(-2)

Joey & Meghan*

(1-1)

10(-2)

Jessica & John*

(0-2)

Route info: "Take a taxi to deliver your car, fully assembled, to the students at Guangzhou children's cultural center".

The additional information reads:

Quote

Additional Information

* Take a packing kit for transporting your toy car

* The Guangzhou Cultural Center is located at [Chinese characters]

* If you fail to deliver your fully assembled car, you may... [receive a penalty?] based on the condition of your car.

As they exit the area Mark carry the car and Mallory the backpacks. Outside they have to change taxis and in the general confusion they forget Mark's backpack. They realize this after a while but decide to continue on to their destination. The fact that their driver didn't speak English probably made this decision easier to make.

Once they have delivered the toy car and received the detour clue they have an argument about whether to go back for the pack or not. Mallory has their passports and Mark's medicine in her fanny pack so they can go on. But Mark feels that he must go back for the back. One of the reasons is that he has borrowed it (from a winning former racer). Mark doesn't budge so they go back. "I guess it just shows that some things matter more to some people", Mallory

Meanwhile the other racers arrive. "It's like coming out of a birth canal", Big easy as he extracts himself from the taxi

In feather ball teams must join two locals and make ten continuous passes of a shuttlecock.

In China cup teams will receive a traditional Chinese therapy used to stimulate blood flow and remove toxins.

The china cup side looks painful from the footage shown, but we never get to know since all teams choose feather ball.

At this point Mark & Mallory are in trouble. They don't work well as a teams and they argue a lot as they search for the place where the feather ball challenge takes place. Mallory is all energy and wants to run everywhere while Mark takes it more slowly. "My opinion matter nothing to her', Mark feels ignored by his partner "People from Kentucky don't act this way", Mark delivers the coup de grace to Mallory

The feather ball task is quite hard and teams struggle. Tension runs high as the last three teams battle it out. Nobody seems to struggle as much as Mark & Mallory who have a really hard time. It seems to be at least partly exacerbated by their frustration over earlier communication issues.

Make your way to theShamian Promenade[Chinese characters] and search for yournext Pit Stop.

Warning: The last teamto check in may beeliminated

Teams travel by taxi to Shamian island (4km).

There is a footrace for first place and then a logjam on the mat as the first seven teams arrive very close to each other. "Brendon it's okay, we're not running for last", Rachel as Brendon starts running after Margie & Luke "I know, but what if it's first?", But Brendon has a reason to run

A fine gesture is that Phil signs the placements to all teams as long as Luke stands on the mat.

"Assembling a car is a guys thing", Caroline has old-fashioned views "Dave & Connor, you are team number five", Phil is off in his counting (they are #4)

Joey & Meghan loose a footrace against Jessica & John. They loose the race but fortunately for them Mark & Mallory are still out on the course. But this causes Meghan to realize that perhaps she shouldn't have helped John earlier in the gave. "This was a really interesting lesson to have to learn", Meghan

All teams stand behind Phil when Mark & Mallory arrive about 10 minutes after #9. Mark & Mallory are not happy to be eliminated "Thank you sir, I appreciated the opportunity", Mark makes a very classy exit

Mark & Mallory get an applause from the other teams as they leave the mat.

The last pit stop was at Shimian park in Guangzhou. This is also where teams are released the next day in the following order:

1.

Brendon & Rachel

18:22

2.

Margie & Luke

18:23

(+0:01)

3.

Caroline & Jennifer

18:24

(+0:02)

4.

Dave & Connor

18:26

(+0:04)

5.

Flight Time & Big Easy

18:27

(+0:05)

6.

Jet & Cord

18:28

(+0:06)

7.

Leo & Jamal

18:36

(+0:14)

8.

Jessica & John

18:49

(+0:27)

9.

Joey & Meghan

18:50

(+0:28)

Route info: "Fly to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo". Once they land teams must make their way to Kionsom waterfall. The clue also points out that teams must travel on one of two flights, and that only the first flight has room for six teams. The second flight lands 3 hours behind the first.

The first teams all realize that the first 7 teams will start very close, but there are only six spots on the first flight. Time to hustle and get to the airport as fast as possible.

"It's really a relief to be on leg 3 and be on two legs", Dave remembers his torn achilles tendon from his last season

In this road block teams must pick up a sponsor gnome, which they have to bring with them to the pit stop, and rappel down the waterfall. Along the way they must find and pick up their next clue.

The task is pretty straightforward and only one person can do it at a time. The only one managing to loose a placement is Cord who doesn't see the clue when the rappels down so he has to redo the task.

"I realize I don't have a clue", Cord about when he hit the pool at the bottom "Don't have a clue or the clue?", Jet

"I didn't want to get my green sequins wet so I did the roadblock in my underwear", Rachel "I'll massage your butt tonight", Brendon shouts encouragement as Rachel slips over some rocks

Big Easy wants to do this task but is told that he is too big so Flight time have to do it instead.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Dave* & Connor

(2-1)

2(+0)

Leo & Jamal*

(1-2)

3(+1)

Margie & Luke*

(2-1)

4(-1)

Jet & Cord*

(1-2)

5(+0)

Flight Time* & Big Easy

(3-0)

6(+0)

Caroline & Jennifer*

(1-2)

7(+0)

Jessica* & John

(1-2)

8(+0)

Brendon & Rachel*

(2-1)

9(+0)

Joey* & Meghan

(2-1)

Quote

ROUTE INFO

Make your way toKampung Tompinahatonand follow the markedpath to the river.

Note: You should holdyour taxi when you arriveat the next location.

Joey & Meghan were not satisfied with their taxi so they paid him off as they reached the road block. Only too late do they realize that there are no other taxis to be found here. They end up having to walk to the main road where they finally find somebody who can call a taxi for them. But they are way behind the other teams. "Dammity damn damn", Joey

In river deliver teams must build a raft of bamboo. Then load a crate with supplies and transport themselves and the crate downriver, on their raft, to Kampung Tombung where they must deliver the crate to the village chief.

In run through the jungle teams must build a raft of bamboo. Then travel this downstream to a place where a number of locals await on the beach. They must then follow a guide on a hunting safari where, each member must hit a fake bird with a dart from a blowpipe.

In both cases, once they have completed their detour, they will receive a piece of wood which simply says 'Continue downriver' After they have passed a set of rapids they will encounter a local river guide who will give them their next clue.

Both detours starts with teams building a bamboo raft. Some of the rafts look sturdier than others. There are some locals playing music and dancing next to the building site.

"This is fun, we're like Huck Finn and Oliver Twist", Caroline & Jennifer have dubious literary knowledge "It doesn't look like their raft is gonna hold up", Rachel whispers to the camera as Jessica & John puts finishing touches on their raft in the water "Carrying ours down to the water, ours fell apart", Margie describes their no so sturdy raft

For safety everybody is equipped with a life jacket and a helmet. The gnome also gets a small life jacket.

"The experience of being there was incredible", Dave enjoyed the river tour

Margie & Luke have a hard time communicating on the raft since they can't see each other. So their trip downstream is decidedly bumpy.

Dave & Connor reach the sign for the village where they are supposed to drop off their supplies. But they remember that their clue said they had to go under 6 bridges so they keep going. They did not bring up their clue to check.

Not long after Leo & Jamal arrive. They check their clue and stop and do the delivery. As they return to the river Jet & Cord arrive. The cowboys are unsure if this is the right place so they ask Leo & Jamal. Had this been last season Leo & Jamal would have lied, but this time they tell the truth. "We don't want to be double U-turned again", Leo

Eventually Dave & Connor reach the jungle run detour. They realize their mistake but continue downriver a bit more, probably to the final clue giver. When they stop they their way back to the village on foot over land.

Some contestants have an easier time with the blowpipe than others. Jessica seems to hit the target on her first try and then she has a more and more resigned look on her face for each time John misses.

According to the editing the second flight lands when the first teams are about to finish the detour.

Some teams have lots of problems in the rapids. They run into things and their rafts start to disintegrate. A lot of this seems to depend on how well teams steer their rafts since some teams seem to have no problem at all. "This is smooth sailing. This ain't whitewater rafting, this is lazywater rafting", Jamal is soon about to change his mind "My finger almost got cut off", Jennifer as they try to get their raft free in the rapids "We actually used my shirt to tie the back", Margie & Luke had to do some impromptu repairs of their raft "I want to know how the country singers did this", Rachel doubts the other teams "I just don't want to die", Rachel in the rapids

The delivery detour seems to be easy if you stop at the right spot on the river. The jungle run is a bit harder. But eventually all teams hit their targets. "We saw this beautiful bad ass girl warrior", Jennifer about how they selected their guide "Welcome to the jungle", Big easy gets the title "After we got our bird we had a party with the locals", Flight time couldn't resist some dancing

Even though they missed the village and had to backtrack, Dave & Connor finish the detour first. This is very strange and it seems as if something has been left out.

The last pit stop was in Tanjung Aru water village. And this is where teams are released the next morning in the following order:

1.

Dave & Connor

09:06

2.

Jet & Cord

09:08

(+0:02)

3.

Leo & Jamal

09:14

(+0:08)

4.

Margie & Luke

09:58

(+0:52)

5.

Flight Time & Big Easy

11:04

(+1:58)

6.

Caroline & Jennifer

11:17

(+2:11)

7.

Jessica & John

12:13

(+3:07)

8.

Brendon & Rachel

12:45

(+3:39)

There is a bunch of kids around at the starting line and Flight Time & Big Easy and Caroline & Jennifer are seen playing around a bit with them before the start.

Route info: "Make your way to the Prince Philip park and search for the Murut longhouse. You have $98 for this leg of the race"

"I came out when I was nineteen", Luke finally gets to let us know that he's gay "Nothing changed with those words", Margie had no problem with it "Brendon promised that if we win I can have babies", Rachel wants a family

Road block: "Who's got a spring in their step?". In this road block contestants must jump on a bamboo trampoline and grab a flag hanging above them. The height of the flag is adjusted depending on the length of the player jumping. They get three jumps each before they have to go to the end of the line.

The task has to be done barefoot and is not trivial.

"We're pretty clear that my dad doesn't have a spring in his step", Connor about his older dad

Jessica gets big ugly blisters on her feet from the bamboo. She has to get some medical attention but after that and some band aids she's on it again.

"Hey Rache, smarter not harder", Brendon gets the title

Rachel struggle since her pantyhose are very slippery against the bamboo. After removing them things go better.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+1)

Dave & Connor*

(2-2)

on his first shown attempt

2(+1)

Leo* & Jamal

(2-2)

3(-2)

Jet & Cord*

(1-3)

on his 47th jump

4(+0)

Margie & Luke*

(2-2)

5(+0)

Flight Time & Big Easy*

(3-1)

6(+0)

Caroline* & Jennifer

(2-2)

7(+0)

Jessica* & John

(2-2)

After more than 15 tries

8(+0)

Brendon & Rachel*

(2-2)

Route info "Fly to Kuala Lumpur. Warning, there are only three flights available for this leg of the race and seating is limited." Teams travel by taxi to the airport (400m) where they pick up their tickets. Nobody seems to get lost

Both detours take place in the Sky bar of the nearby Traders hotel. The place is packed with people and the party is on.

In mix master both team members must successfully repeat seven scratches they hear. This is far from trivial, which the teams soon realize. There are four practice stations they may use on a first come, first served basis.

In master mix the hard part is pouring the drinks. The drinks are pre-mixed but are alternating red and yellow and the trick is to not mix the colors. This turns out to be very hard. The deliver a tray of cocktails part of the task is completely edited out.

"I bartend for a living", Leo has confidence going into the detour "We're two Mormon boys from Salt Lake city, we don't spend a lot of time hanging our in bars", Dave "It's like a made for me detour like I can do this detour. No problem", Rachel feels sure of herself after having served cocktails in Vegas

The first three teams arrive very close to each other so the race is on. But they quickly learn that this form of drink pouring is hard. And two of them are still there when the rest of the teams walk in a little more than an hour later.

"Between what we broke and spilled, we would owe them", Jet think they sucked as bartenders

"This sucks, we've been here for two hours", Connor to Brendon "There's a lot more pressure now that everyone has showed up", Jamal

"You know, you know, you know you're bad", The DJ sings to Flight Time & Big easy after flunking them for the third time

Luke is having a hard time dealing with the frustration from failing the drink pouring all the time "Oh, God. It was so hard and frustrating", LukeEventually he loses it and just drops a set of glasses on the floor. "That is not acceptable behavior. You clean that up", But his mother has issues with that kind of behavior

Towards the end only Margie & Luke and Brendon & Rachel are left. Luke suggests they all take the time penalty together. But Rachel doesn't want to. "We can do this, we need to race it out. I want to be here more than anything in the world", we get to see a completely new Rachel

Maybe it was the shock from, correctly, being told to calm down by the person they have previously considered to be the biggest crybaby on the race. But after having had the chat with Rachel Margie & Luke succeed on their next attempt. "Rachel turned it around for us", Margie gives credit

Brendon & Rachel seems to be at the bar for quite a while after Margie & Luke have left. "We're not quitters Brendon, we're Brenchel", Rachel refuses to quit

Eventually, after 40 attempts, Rachel calls for a prayer and then theyare on it again. "If we go home we go home, but at least we finish", The new Rachel refuses to give up

We were told how long time Brendon & Rachel took to complete the detour, and we know when their flights arrived, and the departure times for the next leg. This means that we can calculate how long each team took at the detour in leg 4.

A big caveat though. This assumes everybody spent the same amount of time transporting themselves from the airport to the detour and from the detour to the pit stop. Any production time credits will also skew the results.

Margie & Luke have a driver who can't find the travel agency so they decide to go directly to the airport. Meanwhile Brendon & Rachel find the travel agency and learn that the direct flight is full. Eventually they book an earlier flight, but this has a 30 minute connection in Singapore. It is a gamble. but they decide to go for it. "There's no way you can do it", guy at the travel agency

Meanwhile Margie & Luke arrive at the airport and also learn that the direct flight is full. Even though they are helped by a pro (Neobie) they are unable to find a good flight which Margie accepts. They are unable to buy tickets for the flight used by Brendon & Rachel since the ticket agents refuse to sell one with such a short connection time. Margie also feels that there is a good chance that they will be able to use their standby tickets on the direct flight. Unfortunately, that turns out to not be the case, and by that time all other flights have left. So they have to wait until the next morning for the next available flight.

At the airport Flight Time & Big Easy run into Brendon & Rachel. They realize that the last leg was a non-elimination and proceed to tell the other teams.

In Singapore Brendon & Rachel stay true to their word and run through the airport for their connection. And they make it.

In Colombo teams make their way to the temple (34km 0:35). Brendon & Rachel reach it first at 01:45 and find that it opens at 05:45. This means that all other teams, except Margie & Luke, catch up. "That's crazy, you beat us", Jennifer to Brendon & Rachel

Teams are instructed to be very respectful inside the temple. They must also dress up in special clothing. So when the gate is opened at 05:45 teams calmly walk inside. "I've actually studied Buddha", Brendon shows unexpected depths "It's nice when you have a chance to stop and think about, hey this is cool", Jessica

Route info: "Travel by train to the city of Galle. Then take a three-wheeler to the marked king coconut stand"

Teams jump into their taxis and make their way to the Fort train station in Colombo (1km 0:04). Here teams end up on two different trains:

"We like to be near the cowboys because they're magical", Caroline lays it on thick

The train ride looks very beautiful. The train has the ocean on one side and the jungle on the other. "It was just beautiful, like this is why you come on the race", Rachel about the train ride

As the first team have the train ride of their life Margie & Luke are about to board their flight back in Singapore. "We're gonna race like we're still in it", Margie know they are way behind "The experience today in Sri Lanka was just amazing", Luke

After the beautiful train ride teams jump into three-wheelers for a harrowing ride to the coconut stand. "This is crazy", Caroline

In fishing pole teams must wade out into the surf and climb up onto a pair of fishing stilts. Here they must each catch a fish before they receive their next clue. The difficulty here is to get the fish to bite.

In spin control teams must learn and perform a traditional folk dance while spinning a drum-like instrument on a stick. One team member get a stick which splits into three so they must keep three discs spinning. In this task the difficult part is to keep the discs spinning.

"You can't make fish bite', Jet gets the title "It ain't nothing to be proud of, but it's a fish", later Jet catches a really tiny fish

"Close baby, it's okay", This season it is Rachel who is encouraging Brendon

"John is not the strongest dancer", JessicaAnd Jessica is right so they are the only team who get flunked by the judge for their poor dancing (the other teams all drop a spinning disc).

Jessica & John is the last team left at the fishing and after deliberating for a while they decide to switch detour.

Here where Brendon & Rachel encounter their speed bump. They must silk screen the final layer of color of the Sri Lankan flag on T-shirts. Once they have done 15 approved shirts they may continue racing. "I haven't silk-screened for a few years, but I have silk-screened before", Rachel

Road block: "Who wants to put the treadle to the metal?"

In this road block contestants must properly stitch together a shirt. They are given a bunch or parts ad a sewing station. There is an ongoing demonstration as well. Once they get their shirt approved they can take it to the heat transfer machine where the next clue will be printed on the front.

"This is gonna be a rough roadblock", Connor after having seen the demonstration "I decide to do the roadblock, worst decision ever", Big Easy "This thing is a speedy little devil", Connor realizes that the sewing machine is meant for professionals

The sewing task is hard. And it doesn't get any easier if you, like Jessica, haven't ever used a sewing machine before. But it is made a bit easier by the fact that the judge actually points out what he doesn't like with each shirt.

Some players try to cooperate (Jennifer & Connor and Jessica & Brendon) but this doesn't seem to help much since each have to do their own sewing.

"This is getting more and more discouraging", Brendon as team after team is approved

Teams also worry about Margie & Luke which can turn up any minute "As soon as Margie gets here she could be like a super sewer", Rachel "I think they'll turn up here the next hour, and I think I will be here too", Flight time about Margie & LukeBut they need not to worry. Margie & Luke are just about to enter the train to Galle.

Flight time gets bored of waiting so he inflates the basketball he is carrying and starts to fool around. This lightens the mood and makes the local workers smile. "That kind of re-energized me and made me focus", Big easy is also helped by this

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+1)

Dave & Connor*

(2-3)

About 14:20

2(+1)

Caroline & Jennifer*

(2-3)

3(+2)

Jet* & Cord

(2-3)

Before 15:00

4(+0)

Leo* & Jamal

(3-2)

5(+2)

Jessica* & John

(3-2)

6(+0)

Brendon* & Rachel

(3-2)

7(-6)

Flight Time & Big Easy*

(3-2)

Margie & Luke visited the garment factory but did not need to performthe road block.

The next clue is just an emblem printed on the shirt. Fortunately for the teams the graphic includes the words "Colombo rowing club", so they know where they are going. Teams travel here by bus.

Flight Time & Big Easy make a smart move and pay the driver to not stop and pick up any more passengers. This enables them to pass one other team.

The last pit stop was at the Colombo rowing club in Colombo, Sri Lanka. And this is where teams are released in the following order:

1.

Dave & Connor

02:59

2.

Caroline & Jennifer

03:27

(+0:28)

3.

Jet & Cord

03:35

(+0:36)

4.

Leo & Jamal

03:50

(+0:51)

?.

Jessica & John

??:??

(+?:??)

?.

Flight Time & Big Easy

??:??

(+?:??)

?.

Brendon & Rachel

??:??

(+?:??)

Departure times are only given for the first four teams.

Route info: Make your way to the Dutch museum in Colombo and search the hall of headstones for your next clue.

Unsurprisingly the museum (3km 0:07) is closed. It opens by 08:30 and by that time all teams are there. "Brenchel is not in the back, we're part of the pack", Rachel is happy for the bunching

When the museum opens there is a mad dash for the hall of headstones. This seems to be easy to find.

Route info: "Make your way to Fort railway station...". Teams will now travel by train to the city of Alawwa. Once there they must make their way to the Ceypetco fuel station where they will find their next clue.

The railway station is nearby (400m) and nobody gets lost so they all make the same train which leaves at 08:55. The ride is about 1.5h.

This is another gorgeous train ride and we gets lots of shots of the contestants sitting by the openings of the train looking out on the passing landscape. "It's really beautiful out here", Caroline

In Alawwa there is a mad dash for the fuel station. Some teams run across the railway tracks while others use the overpass. They reach the fuel station in the following order: 1. Brendon & Rachel 2. Leo & Jamal 3. Dave & Connor 4. Jessica & John 5. Flight Time & Big Easy 6. Jet & Cord 7. Caroline & Jennifer

Road block: "Who wants to fill her up?"

In this road block each contestants must pick a colored badge. Then they must fill 3 liters of gas into four three-wheelers carrying markers of the same color. The catch is that there are hundreds of three-wheelers in a chaotic tangle outside. They must find their color in this chaos and guide them to the pumps.

"When I was 16 I worked in a gas station", Dave has experience (which doesn't really help)

This road block is insanely chaotic with all the teams trying to get their three-wheelers to the pump. There is a lot of pushing and showing and some outright lifting of three-wheelers.

The only one having problems is Rachel who didn't read the clue correctly. "When it said marked cars, I just assumed it meant green cars", Rachel, who picked the green badgeShe started to fill up all green cars, not realizing she should look for a colored badge. The fact that they were the first to arrive only adds to the pressure to finish quickly' Even though she filled up cars belonging to the other teams, they didn't get credit for that. Rachel almost looses it but keeps together and keep filling green cars. Eventually John spills the beans: "Rachel, it's not green it's red", John tells her what to look atThe reason John tells her is that she is about till fill up one of his cars, which would give him no credit.

The one word with describes this road block is frantic. "This is mine, move over", We also get to see a new, very intense, side of Dave "I feel like that whoever is the most insane under those circumstances is like the most successful", John

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+4)

Flight Time & Big Easy*

(3-3)

2(+0)

Leo & Jamal*

(3-3)

3(+1)

Jessica & John*

(3-3)

4(+2)

Jet & Cord*

(2-4)

5(-2)

Dave* & Connor

(3-3)

6(+1)

Caroline* & Jennifer

(3-3)

7(-6)

Brendon & Rachel*

(3-3)

Route info: "Travel by train to Rambukkana". Then they must take a tuk-tuk to the Millennium elephant foundation where they must search the river for their next clue.

The first team at the train station learn that the next train leaves at 10:52, in 12 minutes. There is a tense wait as more and more teams arrive. They all hope that at least one team won't make it, but all teams manage to catch the train. Even though Brendon & Rachel barely make it.

Once in Rambukkana teams run to the tuk-tuks and then we are once again treated to a tuk-tuk race to the elephant sanctuary (4km 0:05).

At the Millennium elephant sanctuary teams have no problems locating the next clue by the river. Teams climb through the vegetation to get this clue in the following order: 1. Jet & Cord 2. Leo & Jamal 3. Jessica & John 4. Dave & Connor 5. Flight Time & Big Easy 6. Caroline & Jennifer 7. Brendon & Rachel

Detour Trunk or Sheets

In trunk teams gets to work with an elephant. They must properly attach a special chain to a marked piece of timber. Once they are done an elephant will carry that piece of timber to a waiting truck. Meanwhile the contestants must also carry a, much thinner, piece of timber to the truck. Once they have repeated this three times they must deliver a load of palm leaves to their elephant before they get their next clue. There are only four chains available.

In sheets teams get to make paper from elephant dung. They must load a wheelbarrow with elephant poop and transport it to a mixing station. Here they must mix it with water and scraps of paper. This mixture is then boiled to create a pulp. Teams get to skip the boiling stage and are given some finished pulp and must use this to make 5 sheets of paper, Finally they must lay out some sheets of paper to dry.

The first six teams all want to do trunk but Flight Time & Big easy and Caroline & Jennifer arrive too late and all the chains are taken. They switch to sheets instead.

At the elephant dung loading station Flight Time start using his hands instead of the shovel since it is faster. "If he puts his hands in some dodo I got to get my hands in some dodo", Big Easy feels pressured to do the same

At the timber station Dave & Connor and Jessica & John has problems getting their chain attachment approved. The others teams have less problems and we get to see the elephants handle the timber. "It was incredible", the cowboys about the elephants

Meanwhile the paper making turns out to be harder than expected. All teams have problems with bubbles and tears in their paper. But when they realize they forgot the pressing step things start to look better.

Route info: "Travel by taxi to the Ambepussa rest house and then let your ears guide you to the wise man".

Teams jump into taxis. Leo & Jamal get their driver to pass Jet & Cord, and the race is on. They reach the guest house (28km 0:26) almost simultaneously and both teams frantically run around and search for the clue, but it is the cowboys who first find the wise man sitting in a tree-house playing his flute.

At the wise man teams have to sit down while he plays a short piece before he hands over the next clue. Teams get this clue in the following order: 1(+0) Jet & Cord 2(+0) Leo & Jamal, immediately after #1 3(+0) Jessica & John 4(+0) Dave & Connor 5(+0) Flight Time & Big Easy 6(+0) Brendon & Rachel 7(+0) Caroline & Jennifer, two minutes after #6

Route info: "Travel by taxi to the Mount Lavinia hotel beach and search for your next pit stop. Warning, the last team to check in may be eliminated". Another taxi race ensues (69km 1:21). "Be careful man, we don't have life insurance", Cord

Flight Time & Big Easy catch up with Dave & Connor during the taxi race. It turns out that their drivers are brothers. "This goes way beyond the race, they're brothers so they are obviously competitive", Connor

Teams are instructed to stop by the Mount Lavinia train station and get over it to reach the beach. Leo & Jamal reach it seconds before Jet & Cord. So there is a footrace. Leo & Jamal cut across the tracks while Jet & Cord use the overpass. For a while Jet & Cord are ahead of Leo but in the end it is Leo & Jamal who Reach Phil first.

Meanwhile Flight Time & Big Easy are in a tense taxi race with Dave & Connor. But suddenly the taxis go different ways, both teams hope that they are the ones going the right way.

It turns out that Dave & Connor are the ones having the better driver. They arrive at the train station seconds after John & Jessica. But this footrace is less exciting. "You beat an old man girl", Dave is not a spry as the younger teams

The last pit stop was at the Mount Lavinia hotel beach in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Teams are released from the hotel courtyard the next day in the following order:

1.

Leo & Jamal

14:41

2.

Jet & Cord

14:32

(+0:01)

3.

Jessica & John

15:01

(+0:20)

4.

Dave & Connor

15:02

(+0:21)

5.

Brendon & Rachel

15:05

(+0:24)

6.

Flight Time & Big Easy

15:09

(+0:28)

7.

Caroline & Jennifer

15:26

(+0:45)

Route info: "Fly to the eternal city and search Hadrians bridge for your next clue". Teams must now figure out that the eternal city is Rome, Italy. Most teams seem to use the internet to verify this but Jet & Cord and Flight Time & Big Easy seem to know it.

"Whoa, Ethiopia, Africa", Rachel wishes this is where they will go

The clue also seems to list some travel agencies teams can use. Some of them use ISRA Holidays.

All teams end up on the same direct flight early the next day. UL 581 CMB-FCO 01:20 - 07:11 (scheduled 01:20 - 07:15)

Once off the plane in Rome teams hurry to the terminal. Jet & Cord, Dave & Connor and Flight Time & Big Easy were all seated at the back so they miss the first bus to the terminal.

Once out of the airport teams jump into taxis and head for the bridge. They reach it in the following order: 1. Jessica & John 2. Brendon & Rachel 3. Leo & Jamal 4. Caroline & Jennifer 5. Flight Time & Big Easy 6. Dave & Connor 7. Jet & Cord

Caroline & Jennifer doesn't actually reach the clue box because they spot their speed bump sign on the bridge. The speed bump clue directs them to the Pantheon (1km) where they will pick up an Olivetti typewriter. They must then find the building it resembles, Altare della Patria (800m), and deliver it there. They are not told the name of the building but must ask around. Once they deliver the typewriter they get the detour clue. Which is good for them since they are fairly close to the Colosseum where the detours take place (900m).

The other teams open the clue box and find a detour clue.

Quote

DETOUR

Detour: "Gladiator" or"Charioteer"

Gladiator: Fight andPerform to the Emperor'ssatisfaction to receiveyour next clue.

Both detours take place close to the Colosseum (3km), but not next to each other.

In gladiator teams must learn a set of maneuvers and then perform them against a gladiator. Once both have performed the right moves they will receive their next clue. The maneuvers aren't that hard, but the gladiator they face is a big and intimidating guy so it is easy to forget yourself.

In charioteer teams race a radio controlled mini chariot. One team member controls the speed and the other the turns. They must complete five laps on the course in 1:30. To make it harder there are rocks strewn on the course. And when you have more teams racing they tend to crash into each other.

Both detours requires that team dress up in suitable clothes.

"Why do they help Rachel get dressed, but they don't help the guys?", Brendon tries to figure out which costume piece goes where "What? We're to fight that guy?", Jessica get to see who they are going to fight "I was shocked and intimidated by the brute force of the gladiator", John after his first attempt "I watched all four seasons of Spartacus", Leo on why he will win the gladiator battle

Caroline & Jennifer arrive, after their speed bump, at the chariot races just as Jet & Cord and Dave & Connor manage to complete the task.

Make your way to thepiazza of John Keats'unhappy Roman Holidayand search for your nextclue.

Teams need to figure out that they need to go to Piazza Di Spagna, where John Keats lived the last part of his life. This is a tricky clue since there is a via John Keats, which is 9km out of the way, and many teams are driven there by their taxis.

Teams find the clue by a chestnut vendor below the Spanish steps in the following order: 1(+1) Brendon & Rachel 2(+2) Dave & Connor, as #1 are still doing it 3(+3) Caroline & Jennifer, as #2 are still doing it 4(+0) Jet & Cord, went to via John Keats 5(+0) Flight Time & Big Easy, after #4 have left, went to via John Keats 6(+1) Leo & Jamal, as #5 is still doing it, went to via John Keats 7(-6) Jessica & John, as #5 is still doing it, went to via John Keats

Quote

ROAD BLOCK

Who can sum up theSpanish Steps?

In this road block contestants must add the number of steps in the Spanish steps to the year written on the obelisk at the top. They must then write the sum on a postcard and show it to the happy couple on a scooter by the obelisk. The catch is that the year on the monument is written in roman numerals, and they must also present their answer in roman numerals. Another small catch is that teams must realize that the first "step" is just the sidewalk and should not be included in the count.

The additional info reads:

Quote

Additional Information

* Take a postcard from the chestnut vendor to write your answer

* There are multiple numbers carved on the obelisk. Use the number which corresponds to the year the obelisk was erected in its current location.

* There are many opinions about the total number of Spanish Steps, to get the correct answer you should count them yourself.

* If incorrect, you must return to the vendor for a new postcard.

Teams enlist the help of locals and tourists to handle the roman numerals.

"Me an math, you know, we're not best friends", Caroline on why she didn't do this roadblock

Jennifer works with Dave to complete this task.

John is close on hist first shown attempt. But he has counted one step too many. Jamal is the first one to get it of the last three teams. He decides to share his answer with the other two teams.

"We'll help you guys as long as you don't beat us, and don't U-turn us", Leo & Jamal offers to help

At this time the last three teams all convince themselves that Caroline & Jennifer are behind them, so they think they all will survive. Leo & Jamal seizes the moment to try to buy some allies for the, suspected, upcoming U-turn.

Leo & Jamal take off for the pit stop and leave Flight Time and John to copy the answer. John doesn't have a postcard so he has to run down and get a new one. This may be the thing which seals their fate.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Brendon* & Rachel

(4-3)

2(+1)

Caroline & Jennifer*

(3-4)

3(-1)

Dave* & Connor

(4-3)

4(+0)

Jet* & Cord

(3-4)

5(+1)

Leo & Jamal*

(3-4)

6(-1)

Flight Time* & Big Easy

(4-3)

7(+0)

Jessica & John*

(3-4)

Route info: "Make your way on foot to where this leg of the race ends and the via Flamenco begin". Teams must now make their way to Piazza del Popolo (700m) where Phil awaits.

"Let them hit it first", Dave lets Carolina & Jennifer reach the mat before them

The last pit stop was at Piazza del Popolo, but teams are released in front of the Da Vinci hotel (700m away) in the following order:

1.

Brendon & Rachel

07:48

2.

Caroline & Jennifer

08:26

(+0:38)

3.

Dave & Connor

08:27

(+0:39)

4.

Jet & Cord

08:40

(+0:52)

5.

Leo & Jamal

09:38

(+1:50)

6.

Flight Time & Big Easy

09:39

(+1:51)

Route info: "Drive yourself to Civita Di Bagnoregio. Caution: U-turn ahead". Once teams arrive they must search for their next clue.

"We want to U-turn the cowboys", Brendon & Rachel have plans for the U-turn

Caroline & Jennifer duck into the hotel and ask them to print two sets of directions, and give one of them to Dave & Connor. The girls want to follow Dave & Connor. "We're not the best at directions", Jennifer know their limitations

Dave & Connor have no problems with this plan and do their best to lead the girls to the next route marker. But eventually there is a truck between them and the girls miss a turn. "I just didn't think they'd ditch us so soon", Caroline think Dave & Connor intentionally lost them "I'll slow down so they can catch up", Meanwhile Dave hope they are just behind

"We hate the U-turn board. That's the thing that's scaring Leo and I", Jamal "We really don't know where we are headed", Flight Time have a hard time finding the right road

Teams arrive at Civita Di Ganforegio (126km 1:39) and find the next clue box, which is placed on the walkway into town and hard to miss, in the following order: 1(+0) Brendon & Rachel 2(+1) Dave & Connor 3(+1) Jet & Cord, drive past team #1 as they are leaving 4(+1) Leo & Jamal 5(-3) Caroline & Jennifer 6(+0) Flight Time & Big Easy, as teams #3 and #4 are leaving

Detour: Donkey run and Donkey build

In Donkey run teams must ride two donkeys, without a saddle, in a local donkey race. They must complete three laps before the band stops playing. Teams are allowed to switch donkeys if they want to.

In Donkey build teams must head to a wood-shop and assemble a wooden donkey. There is no sample to look at and they must use all the parts provided. The tricky part is that they must also use the box which the parts come in. Once approved it will be loaded with wood and teams must deliver it to Geppetto to receive their next clue.

Brendon & Rachel want to build a donkey but when they run into the racecourse they decide to switch. But riding donkeys are hard, they both fall off on their first attempt, just as Dave & Connor arrive. Dave asks Brendon where to pick up the helmets but don't get a reply.

"These guys are fast, we can tell. We looked for the ones that pooped", Brendon on how they selected their donkeys

Jet & Cord are still carrying their express pass, and this is the last leg where they can use it. Since they expect to be U-turned they play it on the detour. They give it to Geppetto of the donkey build side. "So, if we're U-turned, we'll do the other side", Jet & Cord play their strengths

Dave & Connor do the donkey build together with Leo & Jamal and both teams help each other as much as they can. While they are building Caroline & Jennifer turn up and all three teams start to cooperate. They quickly get their donkeys assembled but are not approved since they have missed the box. While they are trying to figure this out Leo & Jamal realize that they are wasting time so they leave for the other detour. "If we go and do the other thing, will you tell us what it was?", Jamal

Eventually Dave & Connor read the clue carefully and realize they need to put the box on as well, and they are approved. As they pass the racecourse they tell Leo & Jamal as well. Dave & Connor also make sure to go back and help Caroline & Jennifer with their donkey.

"Man, I wish we got time to enjoy this", Jamal like the view from the bridge into town

Flight Time & Big Easy start the donkey run detour. But the poor donkey carrying Big Easy refuses to move. So they switch to donkey build. They quickly put most of the donkey together but get stuck on the box. After trying various positions of the donkey, and trying to charm the judge, they abandon this task and go back for the donkey race. This time they get good donkeys and manage to complete the race. "Looks pretty Donkeylicious to me", Flight Time gets the title while looking at their wooden donkey

Route info: "Make your way on foot to Hostaria del Ponte and search for your next clue". This is a restaurant at the foot of the footbridge leading into town. Here teams encounter a double U-turn board.

Jet & Cord leave the detour just before Dave & Connor, but they have to stop and ask for directions to the restaurant, which they are standing just in front of it, his lets Dave & Connor reach the U-turn board just before Jet & Cord. So while Dave & Connor deliberate Jet & Cord stand just behind them.

Brendon & Rachel discuss a bit who to U-turn. Originally they planned to U-turn Jet & Cord but Brendon decide to go for Dave & Connor since they are right behind them. In this case Brendon & Rachel focus on winning this leg. "If we'd been out of there quicker I'd U-turned the Cowboys", Brendon

"Brendon and Rachel, those snakes", Dave upon encountering their U-turn board "Come on, they U-turned a 60-year old man", Dave is really upset

"How did we slide by that?", Jet & Cord are surprised they weren't U-turned

As Dave & Connor come down from the U-turn board the meet Leo & Jamal who have just arrived: "I'm warning you, we had to U-turn you", David tells Leo & Jamal that they just U-turned them

The clue tells teams to drive themselves to La Badia di Orvieto where they will find their next clue.

Teams arrive (15km 0:21) in the following order: 1(+0) Brendon & Rachel 2(+0) Jet & Cord 3(+0) Dave & Connor 4(+0) Caroline & Jennifer, before #1 has left 5(+0) Leo & Jamal, before #2 has left 6(+0) Flight Time & Big Easy, after all other teams have left

In this road block contestants must copy a page of an ancient manuscript. The elaborate paintings on the page are pre-printed, but they must do three lines of text written in a ornate style. And this while using a quill. They must also gild a big letter D.

"I believe in you. You, me and god, we're unstoppable", Brendon gets religious in this church "This is a task which is very well suited to my talents", Rachel

"I'm sorry Dave", Brendon tries to apologize for the U-turn "You're not sorry at all", But Dave is not accepting the apology

"I do not have artistic skills", Dave doesn't want to do this roadblock "I don't either", but neither do Connor

While Jet is doing the task Cord lends their hats to the monks and the monks play around a bit with them.

"This is tough. This is a super hard roadblock", Connor is struggling

"My mom used to make me copy random books when I was a kid", Leo feels good about this task

"I'm gonna take the penalty", Connor is ready to give up "No son", But Dave refuses

When Leo & Jamal are done Leo goes back to check if Connor need help. But he doesn't since he is almost done. Leo & Jamal wait around until Connor is approved and then they leave together.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Brendon & Rachel*

(4-4)

2(+0)

Jet* & Cord

(4-4)

3(+1)

Caroline* & Jennifer

(4-4)

4(+1)

Leo* & Jamal

(4-4)

5(-2)

Dave & Connor*

(4-4)

6(+0)

Flight Time* & Big Easy

(5-3)

Teams will now drive themselves to the town Orvieto (4km 0:10) and ride the funicular to the town center. They they'll make their way, on foot, to Piazza Del Duomo. This is where the pit stop is. At least this is what the episode says. The press pictures shown an additional route marker in Orvieto where teams had to visit a deep well to find their next clue. This task has been edited out.

Dave & Connor are driving just in front of Leo & Jamal, but they make one bad turn when they go directly for the town center while Leo & Jamal go for the funicular. While looking for the way Dave & Connor encounter Caroline & Jennifer.

The last pit stop was at Piazza Del Duomo in Orvieto. This is also where teams are released the next morning in the following order:

1.

Brendon & Rachel

06:13

2.

Jet & Cord

07:23

(+1:10)

3.

Leo & Jamal

07:34

(+1:21)

4.

Dave & Connor

07:44

(+1:31)

5.

Caroline & Jennifer

07:45

(+1:32)

Route info: "Make your way to Altdorf, Switzerland". Teams must now drive back to Rome and catch a train to Chiasso, Switzerland. Once there they must pick up a sponsor car and drive to Altdorf and wait for Wilhelm Tell to deliver their next clue.

"I hope they don't take it personally", Rachel about them U-turning Dave & Connor in the last leg

Unfortunately Rachel is very wrong. Dave & Connor did take it personally, and they have enlisted Leo & Jamal and Caroline & Jennifer into their club. So these teams spend a good part of this episode bad-mouthing Brendon & Rachel. So much in fact that I'm surprised that they even remembered racing. I will skip most of it in this report though, because frankly it is just depressing.

Teams drive themselves to Rome (121km 1:21) and take two different trains to Chiasso. Jet & Cord have a hard time finding the way so they miss the first train and have to take another about an hour later.

From Chiasso teams drive to Altdorf (154km 1:44). By the time they get there it is dark so we can all smell an hours of operation. There is also an event going on with a big procession of kids carrying lanterns walking down the street. Teams find the Wilhelm Tell status in the following order: 1. Dave & Connor 2. Leo & Jamal 3. Caroline & Jennifer 4. Brendon & Rachel 5. Jet & Cord, at 00:34

At the foot of the statue is a small sign: "At sunrise wait for Wilhelm Tell".

"Hey guys, do you know what we are calling ourselves? 'The accidental alliance'", Caroline gets the title

The next morning at 06:45 all teams wait around the statue when "Wilhelm Tell" and his "son" appears. Unexpectedly the delivery of clues is a smooth affair with no showing or opportunistic grabbing of clues.

Route info: "Drive yourself to Lucern and search for your next clue on the oldest wooden bridge in Europe". Teams must now go to Lucern and figure out that they need to go to the Chapel Bridge.

Everybody is driving together with Brendon & Rachel in the lead. The latter try to mess with the others by making a wrong turn. But Leo & Jamal behind them know where they are going so they just keep going. So all Brendon & Rachel made was giving up their lead.

The rooms are very messy and teams need to clean them up. There is a sample they can go look at (room 148). That is needed because Helga, the judge, is very demanding and expects everything to be exactly as it should be. Including details as that the reading lights should be bent in a certain direction. "We've been with plenty of rock stars so we know what this will look like", Caroline & Jenifer have experience

But before they can commence cleaning teams must dress up in proper uniforms. "You don't have black shoes", Helga wants to flunk the teams before they even start

"We really thought we would get this pretty quick", Dave underestimated the task "I'm really hoping that my wife doesn't see this", Jet doesn't want to be seen cleaning

"Sorry, but there are mistakes", Helga "Closer", Helga gives a small hint

Route info: "Drive yourself to the Verkershaus der Schweiz and look for the marked artifact outside. Answer the question to receive your next clue".

Teams must now drive themselves to the Swiss museum of transport (2km 0:04). In front of it is a marked artifacts. Next to it stands a man who simply asks what it is. The correct answer is that it is a tunnel drill bit.

"It's a wheel. A carburetor?. A train?", Rachel makes some random guesses

Route info: "Search the museum for the Ford Mustangs in it". In the museum Yard teams will find five old classic Ford Mustangs. Each of them carry a clue. In it teams are each given a mathematical formula which looks like: "Payerne __km - Chur __km". They must use this to calculate the model year of their mustang. They get the distances from the road signs covering the building behind the cars. The only tricky part is that a lot of the requested distances are on signs which are on the back of the building.

The only teams struggling with this is Caroline & Jennifer, but Leo tells them exactly what they need to do.

At this point teams are only a few minutes apart. They find the next clue inside the car.

Route info: "Drive yourselves to Oberrickenbach and search for the milk tanker". Unfortunately teams do not get to drive these classic cars but must continue to use the boring ones they have used so far in the race.

In this task teams will have to fetch some milk. First they get to choose a farm dog with a cart. Then walk with this dog to one of two gondolas, ride the gondola to the top while bringing two empty milk containers along. At the top they have to walk a bit to a dairy farm where they exchange the empty milk containers for full ones. Take these back to the gondola and ride down. Once down they can load the containers on the cart and deliver them to the milk tank where the task started.

"I'm really glad my dad didn't do this challenge. You have to run up this hill", Connor "I have never wiped out that hard in my entire life', Caroline falls on a patch of ice "Holy crap, they're heavy", Connor realize he have to carry the milk back to the gondola

At the the end of this task we get a dog race between Cord and Connor. "That was when I was glad I picked a big stout dog", Cord as his dog pulls ahead

"That was hard, I don't think Caroline is gonna get it", LeoAnd Leo is right insofar that Caroline is struggling with the heavy milk containers. she finishes the task but seem to take a fair bit longer than the others.

"Now a dog will put you in a good mood, no matter what's happened in your day", Caroline when she finally got her milk down from the mountain

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Jet & Cord*

(4-5)

2(+0)

Dave & Connor*

(4-5)

Seconds after #1

3(+0)

Leo* & Jamal

(5-4)

4(+0)

Brendon* & Rachel

(5-4)

5(+0)

Caroline* & Jennifer

(5-4)

Route info: "Drive yourselves to Engelberg". Teams must now drive themselves to Engelberg (19km 0:25) and ride the gondolas to the top of mount Titlis at 10.000' where the pit stop is.

Dave & Connor arrive first at the gondola. Dave tries to save some time by jumping over one of the railings, and falls flat on his back. Fortunately for him the only thing he seems to hurt is his dignity. At this point they are 1-2 minutes ahead of Jet & Cord.

Unfortunately for Dave & Connor the gondola they are on only take them part of the way. Eventually they have to wait for the big gondola to the top. While they wait for this Jet & Cord show up (at 13:15), and then also Leo & Jamal. Dave & Connor do not look happy when Jet & Cord turn up. All three teams realize there will be a footrace to find Phil.

"We just flew in here on our magic carpet", Jamal when they arrive just before the gondola departs

"We're not gonna win this footrace", Connor thinks his dad is slow "Oh, I don't know", Cord is not so sure

"We could out-sprint both of them", Leo has confidence

Once the gondola reaches the top there is footrace. But nobody knows where Phil is. Jet & Cord and Leo & Jamal head for the nearest exit to outside while Dave & Connor head for the elevator to the top.

Phil turns out to be at the top and teams reach him in the following order: 1(+1) Dave & Connor, win a new car each 2(-1) Jet & Cord, less than a minute later 3(+0) Leo & Jamal, a few seconds later 4(+0) Brendon & Rachel 5(+0) Caroline & Jennifer, are saved by a non-elimination

The last pit stop was at the top of mount Titlis. Unsurprisingly teams aren't released from there but instead at the foot of the mountain. They are released in the following order:

1.

Dave & Connor

14:35

2.

Jet & Cord

14:37

(+0:02)

3.

Leo & Jamal

14:38

(+0:03)

4.

Brendon & Rachel

14:42

(+0:07)

5.

Caroline & Jennifer

14:58

(+0:23)

Teams must now fly to Seville, Spain. Once they arrive they must make their way to the Alameda where they will find their next clue between Hercules and Caesar. Teams also learn that there is a U-turn ahead.

The first task is however to get rid of the ice on the windscreen of their cars so they can drive to Zürich.

"The U-turn was not very smart and kind of inappropriate", Dave thinks he should be excepted from the U-turn? "We're in Switzerland and in the spirit of neutrality, we're staying out of it", Jet wants to stay out of the U-turn drama

Most teams drive directly to the Zürich airport (101km 1:15). Brendon & Rachel stop at a travel agency and Jet & Cord miss the airport exit. This may be the reason they didn't make the first flight.

Once in Seville teams jump into taxis and make their way to the Alameda (12km 0:13). The first two teams arrive there in the evening and we are not surprised when they find a sign on the ground which reads "Your clue will arrive at 8:30am".

The next morning they find a trumpeter here who plays a fanfare and hands out the clues. Teams receive them in the following order: 1. Dave & Connor, at 08:30 2. Leo & Jamal, a second after #1 3. Caroline & Jennifer 4. Brendon & Rachel, a minute or so after #3 5. Jet & Cord, not long after #4, around 09:30

Route info: "Make your way to Malado Peluqueros". This turns out to be a barber shop at the other end of the park (500m). Teams arrive here in the following order: 1(+0) Dave & Connor 2(+0) Leo & Jamal, still just behind #1 3(+0) Caroline & Jennifer 4(+1) Jet & Cord, about a minuter after #3 5(-1) Brendon & Rachel, about a minute after #4

Road block: "Who wants to be the Barber of Seville?" In this road block contestants must shave a balloon with an old fashioned straight edged razor. The balloon is almost completely covered in shaving cream. They have to complete the task in 60 seconds. Production has also hired an opera signer who sings arias from the Barber of Seville in the salon. The judge will pop the balloon when the time is up, which surprises the contestants.

We get to see lots of shots on popping balloons, but eventually all teams complete the task.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Dave & Connor*

(4-6)

2(+0)

Leo & Jamal*

(5-5)

3(+2)

Brendon & Rachel*

(5-5)

4(-1)

Caroline & Jennifer*

(5-5)

5(-1)

Jet* & Cord

(5-5)

Route info: search for your next clue at the Patio de Banderas in the Real Alcázar.

It is outside Real Alcázar (1.5km) that Caroline & Jennifer encounter their speed bump. They simply have to deliver six sides of Spanish ham to Cafe-bar Las Teresas (400m).

The other teams can go directly to the clue and find it in the following order: 1(+0) Dave & Connor 2(+0) Leo & Jamal 3(+0) Brendon & Rachel 4(+1) Jet & Cord, had a hard time finding it 5(-1) Caroline & Jennifer, meet Jet & Cord when they enter the building

Running with the Ballz:Dressed as a bull, run thenarrow streets of Seville,and look for thebullfighter's quotation onthe way. Watch out forthe other bulls!

Caution: U-Turn Ahead!

In Spanish steps teams must dress up and then learn a Flamenco routine. They must then perform to the satisfaction of a judge. This detour takes place at the Museo del Baile Flamenco (650m).

In running with the ballz teams must put on a big plastic ball which has a stylized bull drawn on it. Their upper body is totally encased in the ball. They must then follow a marked path through the alleys. This will pass though three squares and each feature a matador poster with a part of a motto ("A Matador", "never thinks about", "his own death"). The squares also contains other "ballz" whose sole purpose is to knock the teams over. They do so with gusto. In fact this is one of the most violent challenges I have ever seen on the race.

"These bubble boys were no joke", Leo "These streets are barely wide enough for us to fit in them. So we think that's the challenge, up until we get to the bulls", Brendon soon learns what the real challenge was "I'm just a girl, you're not to hit me so hard", Rachel wants special considerations "Old, I'm old", Dave also thinks he warrants special treatment "Bull down, bull down", Jamal gets the title "Brendon, these guys are bullying me. Save me", Rachel lapses into helplessness "You don't have balls, bulls", Brendon (in Spanish) to the other bulls

Jamal twist his knee during the bull task and he barely limps along for the rest of the leg. the next episode will show how serious this really is. It looks bad from the footage in this episode. Fortunately for them this happens right by the end of the detour so they are able to finish the task. "I can't feel my kneecap, it's getting worse", Jamal

Jet & Cord have trouble with the ballz task. They miss the clue in the first square, so they have to go back. This takes a long time.

Route info: "Search on foot outside the general archives of the Indies which houses the principal documents of Spanish exploration". Teams must now make their way to the archives. Here the will find a double U-turn board. Teams reach it in the following order: 1(+0) Dave & Connor 2(+0) Leo & Jamal, U-turns Jet & Cord 3(+0) Brendon & Rachel 4(+1) Caroline & Jennifer, U-turns Brendon & Rachel 5(-1) Jet & Cord

"We are not going to use the U-turn because we can't. I wish we could", Connor wants to U-turn "The strongest team in this race is still the Cowboys", Jamal on why they U-turn "They did the smart thing, not the popular thing', Rachel is happy to not be U-turned "Sorry Brenchel, it's nothing personal", Caroline lives in denial "Those two dirty suckers", Jet get emotional when he see that Leo & Jamal have U-turned them

From the press pictures we know that teams from here had to ride a horse-drawn carriage to Plaza de America (1/8km). This has been edited out and instead we get to see the next clue.

Quote

ROUTE INFO

Make your way on foot toyour next Pit Stop, thePlaza de España!

Warning, the last team tocheck in may beeliminated!

Teams now has to go from Plaza de America to the pit stop (500m). Here they find Phil and the greeter, who in this leg is a woman with a magnificent horse. Teams check in with Phil in the following order: 1(+0) Dave & Connor, win a trip to St Croix 2(+1) Brendon & Rachel 3(-1) Leo & Jamal 4(+0) Caroline & Jennifer 5(+0) Jet & Cord, are eliminated

The last pit stop was at Plaza de España in Seville, Spain. and this is also where teams are released the next day in the following order:

1.

Dave & Connor

10:39

2.

Brendon & Rachel

11:16

(+0:37)

3.

Leo & Jamal

11:25

(+0:46)

4.

Caroline & Jennifer

11:36

(+0:57)

Route info: "Make your way to Liverpool, England". Teams must now travel by train to Madrid and then fly to London Heathrow. Once there they'll choose a sponsor car and drive themselves to Liverpool and find Anfield Stadium. Here they must change clothes and the each player must score two penalty kicks against a professional goalkeeper.

"I can't run at my full speed, but I'm to man it up and go through it", Jamal on his knee injury

It seems there were one train per hour, and the first teams probably rode: AVE02121 Seville-Madrid 12:45 - 15:20Caroline & Jennifer may have gone on a later train. All teams seem to end up on the same flight to London.

Once at Heathrow they all rush to the short term parking where six cars are waiting. Teams can make their pick, as long as they choose white. By this time it is dark outside and teams have a long drive ahead of them, on the left side of the road. Teams leave the airport in the following order: 1. Dave & Connor 2. Brendon & Rachel 3. Leo & Jamal 4. Caroline & Jennifer

"Dang it, wrong side", Caroline entered the wrong side of the car

The night drive is moderately eventful with misnavigations and teams getting stuck in traffic. In the early morning teams arrive at Anfield (338km 3:17) in the following order: 1(+2) Leo & Jamal 2(+2) Caroline & Jennifer, as #1 are doing the task 3(-2) Brendon & Rachel, shortly after #2 4(-3) Dave & Connor, as #1 leave

"Soccer is one of the biggest sports in Afghanistan", Leo know that this stadium is sacred ground "That one is smaller", Leo & Jamal pick goalkeeper

What follows is an embarrassingly bad soccer performance by the teams. Leo & Jamal at least know in theory what they are supposed to do and after a few attempts they seem to get the hang of it. And Brendon & Rachel surprise all of us by actually knowing this game, so they finish quickly. But Caroline & Jennifer suck at this. Eventually their goalie falls asleep and accidentally lets a shot in, and after that the girls actually get a couple of decent shots as well. Dave & Connor just suck.

"You're so mean to me, I thought you liked me", Caroline try to flirt with the goalie "Eventually, yeah?", The judge to Connor when he finally completes the task

Route info: "Drive yourselves to Wales and find Thomas Telfords stream in the sky and search for your next clue". Teams must now drive to the Pontcysyllte aqueduct where they'll find their next clue.

"When in doubt, go to a gas station", Jamal on his navigation technique

Brendon & Rachel stop at the same gas station as Leo & Jamal. They quickly find somebody who knows and jump into their car again. Leo & Jamal abandon their attempts to get directions and decide to follow Brendon & Rachel instead. Brendon doesn't like to be followed and manages to shake them off.

Here they find a road block. In this road block contestants must learn a verse from a Welsh poem. They must pick a canal boat with instructor and can then practice while the boat crosses the aqueduct, which takes about 15 minutes. At the other end they must recite the verse to a Welsh linguist. If they fail they must go back to their boat and practice more.

The pronunciation of the different words is quite tricky as well. So this task is far from trivial.

"Welsh, the craziest language since they hiss at you when they talk to you", Caroline

An additional factor is that the weather turns worse as teams do this task. The judging takes place outside in heavy rain and wind. The judge is an old lady who has no problem with this weather. "A little bit more practice", judging lady to failing teams

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+1)

Brendon* & Rachel

(6-5)

On his second attempt

2(-1)

Caroline* & Jennifer

(6-5)

On her second attempt

3(+0)

Leo & Jamal*

(5-6)

On his fourth attempt

4(+0)

Dave & Connor*

(4-7)

On his fourth attempt

Once players receive the next clue they must board their boat again for the 15 minutes ride back to their partner before opening the clue.

Route info: "Drive yourself to the Bolesworth estate".

Most teams seem to find this without problem. The exception is Leo & Jamal who struggle. "Ironic how Leo and I are good at navigation and directions, and then the one time we need it the most, we stumble", Jamal have trouble finding Bolesworth

In shoot it teams must shoot clay pigeons with a 12 gauge shotgun. Once the team has scored a total of 16 hits they will receive their next clue.

In boot it teams have to choose a pair of size 9 or size 11 boots from a big pile of boots. They must then take turns to toss their wellies around a course, each player continuing on from where the previous toss landed. Before each toss the boots must be filled with water from a through.

Both detours require teams to dress up in local costumes.

"I enjoyed wearing carpet", Caroline about the tweed they had to wear

The boot throwing turns out to be quite physical since teams have to run back to refill their boots with water all the time. It doesn't get better when Brendon & Rachel finally finish and the judge checks the boots and proclaim them to be of the wrong size. They have to redo the task. "It says find a marked size 10 or 11", Rachel misremembers the clue and picks up boots of size 10

Rachel has a breakdown when, after their tossing, the judge says they have to go again. But this season Brendon seems to know how to handle her because he gets her calmed down relatively quickly, and they redo the task. The bonus this time is that they can live out their aggression on the boots and they seems to hurl them extra long the second time.

Caroline turns out to be unexpectedly good at shooting so they manage to advance one position.

Leo & Jamal seems to arrive as Brendon & Rachel are doing their second round of boot tossing. The episode is then cut too look like these teams are fighting it out for last place. But in reality Brendon & Rachel leave 20-25 minutes ahead of Leo & Jamal.

Route info: "Drive yourself to Peckforton castle". This is the pit stop.

Dave & Connor leave Bolesworth just after Caroline & Jennifer. None of them know where Peckforton castle is. The girls turn right and the boys left. Both teams are just guessing at this point. "Please let us be right this one time", CarolineUnfortunately it is Dave & Connor who guessed right.

The last pit stop was at Peckforton castle. It looks like teams are released in the garden of Carden Park hotel. It is hard to tell since it is pitch black. Teams are released in the following order:

1.

Dave & Connor

04:31

2.

Caroline & Jennifer

04:38

(+0:07)

3.

Brendon & Rachel

04:52

(+0:21)

Route info: "Fly to your final destination Las Vegas, Nevada". Teams must now drive themselves to Heathrow and then fly to Las Vegas. Once they land they will be taken for a ride in a black car.

Jennifer went to High School in Las Vegas and Rachel has worked there, so they are both very happy to go back. Dave is not happy that Rachel knows Vegas.

The ride to Heathrow (291km 3:08) seems uneventful and all teams end up on the same flight. Normally, in recent seasons, the final flight is determined by production. In this case there was only one direct flight that day. Teams end up on: BA275 LHR-LAS 16:06 - 18:55 (scheduled 15:50-18:20)

When teams find their cars the driver just commands them "Get in".

The cars seem to be supposed to give a mafia feeling and they drive out into the desert. Suddenly they turn off the road and stop. The driver just says "Get out and dig". There are spades stuck into the ground outside illuminated by the headlights of the cars.

Teams arrive at the digging site in the following order: 1. Dave & Connor 2. Caroline & Jennifer, just after #1 3. Brendon & Rachel, seems to arrive a minute or two later

The three digging sites are right next to each other so Dave & Connor immediately start to complain that Brendon & Rachel are throwing dirt into their hole. It is impossible to say how much merit this has from what is shown, but it looks petty. "The claws are coming out", Caroline or Jennifer about the other two teams

Eventually each team find a wooden box buried in the ground. They find it in the following order: 1(+0) Dave & Connor 2(+1) Brendon & Rachel 3(-1) Caroline & Jennifer

The box is marked "Property of David Copperfield" and "If found, open and return contents to the lot". Teams take their boxes and jump into their cars again. The driver obviously knows where to go because he just takes off.

There is no obvious way to open the box. Rachel is the only one who thinks here she crawls into the trunk and gets some tools, and with them they get it open. Inside the box they find a big key ring with 50 keys on it.

The chosen team member will be locked inside a big wooden crate. Their partner must then give them the key ring before retreating and follow the rest of the task on video in a nearby van. The person inside the box must now try the keys until they find the one which fits their locks. Once they are free they must reach through slits in the crate and open a jar on the outside and retrieve a set of lock picks. When they have done this the box is set on fire and lifted up into the sky. Eventually the person inside the box gives a signal and the box is dropped to the ground. The box breaks and a huge fireball erupts. The team member then surprises their partner by turning up unharmed and dressed as a firefighter.

Before teams can begin the task they must present the keys. The only way to retrieve them, unless you already have done it, seems to be to throw the box on the ground a few times to break it open.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Dave & Connor*

(4-8)

2(+1)

Brendon & Rachel*

(6-6)

3(-1)

Caroline & Jennifer*

(6-6)

Teams are given the next clue by David Copperfield. It reads:

Quote

ROUTE INFOMake your way to theNeon Boneyard andsearch the grounds foryour next clue.

Teams must now make their way to the Neon Boneyard museum and search for their next clue inside. The clue also apparently points out in big bold letters that they are not allowed to run inside the museum.

Brendon & Rachel have bad luck and pick up what seems to be the slowest taxi on the planet. "Can you go a little faster, is that ok?", Brendon "Go faster. I'll get a ticket", But their driver is having none of it

Each teams seem to arrive at the Neon boneyard (13km 0:12) just as the previous team is exiting. They find the clue inside the museum in the following order: 1(+0) Dave & Connor 2(+0) Brendon & Rachel 3(+0) Caroline & Jennifer

Route info: "Unscrew a light bulb from the silver and red questionmark-sign and take it with you to the Mirage hotel & casino and search for your next clue."

The questionmark is right behind the clue box. Which doesn't stop Brendon & Rachel from missing it.

Outside the museum Brendon tries to steal Caroline & Jenifer's cab, but their driver is not buying it. He even ignores Brendon's line that is is for their baby (which they have said they are going to have if they win). Eventually they have to go back to their own cab. It seems that their driver is even slower now, possibly because she is tired of their constant yelling from the back seat.

The clue box is right outside the employee entrance, but Brendon & Rachel miss it and run into the hotel. "Search the hotel? This is one of the biggest hotels in the world", Rachel when Brendon wants to search the hotel for their next clueHere Rachel is smarter than Brendon and she runs back to the entrance where they find the clue box.

Route info: "Keep the Mirage glimmering over the Las Vegas strip". Teams must don safety gear and then ride up 30 stories in a window washing rig. At the top they must screw light bulbs into the empty sockets of the letter I in "The Mirage". Once they have filled all the holes they must say the correct number of bulbs used (241).

This task is not for the faint of hearth since it takes place high up in the air on a flimsy looking platform. Teams also have to reach quite far from the platform to reach the sockets. The actual number saying isn't as crucial as teams seem to be able to just make guess after guess. It is rather with the screwing of light bulbs which teams can make up or lose time.

"You are not scared, you are excited", Caroline tries to motivate Jennifer "I'm not scared of heights", Jennifer tries to convince herself

The first two teams Caroline & Jennifer and Dave & Connor can see each other as they are working. So there is some extra tension. "Dave & Connor are catching up with us", The girls see their competitors

Route info: "Make your way to Maverick helicopters in Henderson". This place is not trivial to find. Dave & Connor go down a dead end at first and when they go back Caroline & Jennifer are in front of them. Dave urges their driver to pass them and he does. This is probably where they win the race (at least from what is shown).

In this road block contestants must put on a futuristic jumpsuit and then do a tandem skydive from 10.000 feet. The futuristic part is that the jumpsuit has colored lights. Before they can jump they must fly down the strip and spot a sign telling them where to go.

Dave wants Connor to do this road block, but the clue states that he has to do it.

The non-performing team member gets driven to the finish line

Spotting the sign seems to be easy and all teams seem to do it on their first try. Since Dave got to the clue box first he get to go first. The landing zone is right next to the finish line.

The only real tension here is by the non-participating team members who do not know who will drop out of the sky first. They anxiously wait and try to discern who the first jumper is. At least Connor & Jennifer do, Rachel is quite a bit behind and hasn't arrived yet.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)

1(+0)

Dave* & Connor

(5-8)

2(+0)

Caroline* & Jennifer

(7-6)

3(+0)

Brendon* & Rachel

(7-6)

The finish line is right next to the landing zone so teams check in in the following order: 1(+0) Dave & Connor, win $1.000.000 2(+0) Caroline & Jennifer 3(+0) Brendon & Rachel